WASHINGTON — The list of Chinese products targeted by the Trump administration’s potential next round of import duties includes nearly all tires along with polymers and other raw materials important to the rubber industry. According to the notice, posted on the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s Web site, the administration is modifying its original June 20 proposal — to place 25-percent tariffs on up to $50 billion worth of Chinese goods — to add 10-percent duties…

The Natural Rubber (NR) exports by Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) was decreased by five percent during January-March, 2018, from 2.448 million tonnes to 2.325 million tonnes in the same period a year ago. This is inclusive of NR exported to China in the form of compound rubber under HS4005.10, HS4005.20, HS4005.91, HS4005.99 and mixture rubber under HS4002.80, said the Natural Rubber Trends and Statistics report by ANRPC in March 2018. The world…

The global demand of natural rubber (NR) grew 7.6% from 3.123 million tonnes during January-March, 2017 to 3.361 million tonnes during Q1 2018. The world production of NR recorded a 3.3% growth to 3.152 million tonnes during first quarter of 2018 as compared to 3.051 million tonnes produced during same period last year. This figure also accounted the 9% of production share from non-ANRPC member countries. An increase in production in China, Philippines, Thailand and…

While US President Donald Trump may be talking up the benefits of a trade way, after reviewing certain tariffs on passenger and light truck (PLT) tyres imported from China, the US Department of Commerce (DOC) has adjusted some of its antidumping and countervailing rates. Reductions in the antidumping tariffs for the period from 27 January 2015 through 31 July 2016 include the rate for Giti Tire dropping from 30.74 per cent to 1.5 per cent…

The Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries (ANRPC) has predicted that the global outlook of Natural Rubber (NR) supply in 2018 is anticipated at 13.784 million tonnes, up 3.7% from 13.287 million tonnes in 2017. During January-February 2018, the world NR production was 2.207 million tonnes, compared to 2.116 million tonnes during the same period in 2017, said the February 2018 Natural Rubber Trends and Statistics report by ANRPC. “The world production of NR, including…

ABIDJAN, Jan 31 (Reuters) – Ivory Coast’s natural rubber output rose 26 percent in 2017 to 591,000 tonnes and will reach 750,000 tonnes by 2020, the head of the natural rubber association said on Wednesday. Plantations in Africa’s top natural rubber exporter have spread into new areas of the country, including the centre, north-west and the east, boosting production and encouraging the regulator to reduce subsidies for the sector. Ivory Coast forecasts production of 650,000…

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will bring up the issue of the stability in world rubber prices at the coming International Rubber Tripartite Conference to be held in Bangkok, Thailand this Friday. In a statement, the Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry said Minister Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong would lead the Malaysian delegation to the conference. The ministry said the issue of volatile global rubber pricing was a huge concern for local industry players which included some…

With a headline like that, you could be forgiven for thinking that this month’s column refers to the ongoing geopolitical sabre rattling taking place between China’s North Korean neighbours and the USA. However, as important as the hint of nuclear escalation is, here we focus on how the overheating Chinese tyre market is as close as it has ever been to boiling over. Two key subjects have raised the temperature in the People’s Republic during the…

A new report based on International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers and a ReportLinker algorithm and analysts forecasts that new passenger car sales in China should reach 29.7 million units a year by 2020. This means that between 2017 and 2020, new car sales in that nation will maintain an annualized growth rate (CAGR) of 7.06 per cent. That rate of growth is slower than it has been in recent years up until now, but…

A planned reorganization by Michelin Group “would significantly impact jobs” in the U.S. and France. But there’s one part of the business that won’t be affected: Michelin’s production facilities. The tire maker says it has launched a project to adapt its operations “to meet the evolving demands of its customers and employees. This new organization is designed to improve the company’s reactivity and maintain competitiveness, enabling it to smoothly meet future challenges. “The purpose of…